Bird cards
Duration: 15 min
Target group: all grades
Where: Indoors
When: At all times of the year
Materials: Bird cards (print out and cut)
Section of wilderness passport: Game management
Learning objectives: Identify game birds occurring in Finland and learn about their habits
INSTRUCTIONS
In this exercise, students learn to identify 18 species of birds classified as game birds out of a total
of 26 game bird species in Finland. For some of the species, both males and females are presented,
while only one of the genders is presented in other cases. If the male and female plumage differ
greatly and only one is pictured on the bird cards, the card will specify the gender. If there are no
noticeable differences between the appearance of the genders, this is not mentioned.
You can print out five different kinds of cards, which can be used in many ways: a) only the names
of the birds b) only pictures of birds c) the pictures and names of the birds d) identification and
lifestyle information on the birds e) identification and lifestyle information on the birds without the
species' names. Please note that you should print out only the pages you need. You may want to
print out the picture cards and text cards double-sided. When printed on A4-sized paper, the text is
quite small, so you may want to enlarge the prints to A3. Instructions for three different species
identification games are given below. Choose the most suitable one or create your own way of using
the bird cards!
Memory game
Print the cards (options a & b, b & c, c & d OR c & e) ONE-SIDED, preferably on strong paper
in colour. Cut the sheets into single cards. Place the cards face down on the table. Alternately, each
player flips two cards over. If the cards make a pair, the person who turned them may place them in
front of him or her. The next player will then
take his or her turn. The winner is the one with the most pairs when all of the cards have been turned.
If you play the memory game with cards that do not display the name of the species
the correct answers (options c and d) should also be printed out for checking.
Identification game A
Print the identification and lifestyle information, without names (option e), on the rear side of the bird
+ name (option c) pictures. Print DOUBLE-SIDED. Cut the sheets into single cards and deal them
out to the pairs. The pairs should stack their cards with the picture side facing down. On the basis of
identification information, the pairs should now alternately guess which bird is in question. After the
guessing round, the cards are turned over. If a guess was correct, the guesser gets the card (and
one point). The winner is the one who identifies the most species.
The cards can also be divided in half between the two members of the pair. One should read the
information while the other guesses. When the guess is correct,
the bird in question is shown.
Identification game B
Print the identification and lifestyle information (option d) on the rear side of the anonymous bird
pictures (option b).
Print DOUBLE-SIDED. Cut the sheets into single cards and deal them out to the pairs. The pair
should place the stack of cards in front of them,
face up. Both may guess the name of the species, the food source and the range of occurrence. The
one whose guesses come closest or knows more about the species gets the card, and one point.
The correct answers can be checked on the back of the card. The winner is the one with the most
cards when all of the cards in the stack have been used.
Links
Bird identification, “a virtual bird atlas”: http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/linnut/
Videos and photos for the identification of birds (in Finnish):
http://riista.fi/julkaisut/lajintunnistusmateriaalit/
Bird identification game (in Finnish): http://www.peliplaza.fi/fi/birdlife_linnuntunnistus
Topics to think about
1. The male and female of some bird species look different. What kinds of differences can you spot
between males and females?
a) How does brownish plumage benefit the females?
- Females blend in better with the surroundings and predators are unable spot them easily,
for example during the breeding season.
b) Why is the male bird of some species more colourful than the female?
- When in good condition, the male's bright plumage is a sign of vitality. Female birds prefer
to mate with a male that is in good condition. A colourful plumage is particularly important
for species that do not mate for life, but find a new partner every spring.
2. What are migratory birds? Why do some birds migrate up to thousands of kilometres every
autumn and spring?
- Migratory birds typically nest near the polar regions, like here in Finland, and migrate to the
equatorial regions for the winter. Migration makes sense, because the struggle for territory
and food would be too difficult in the zone of eternal summer. In the north, there is less
competition in the summer: there are enough insects for insectivores, plant parts for
herbivores and ice-free waters for piscivores. The Arctic tern, which nests close to the
Arctic Circle but migrates to the Antarctica region when it is winter in the Northern
Hemisphere, makes the longest migratory journey. Some birds that nest in Finland migrate
over considerably shorter distances by flying to the south coast of the Baltic Sea for winter.
3. Why is the mere colour of plumage not a good identifier for all species?
- Some birds may have four differently coloured plumages during the year (e.g. willow grouse
and shoveler). In addition, young birds are often different from adults. When identifying
species, you should also pay attention to the calls of the birds, the shapes of their bodies,
wings and heads, as well as their behaviour and the way they fly.
4. What kinds of strategies do the sedentary bird species (species that do not seasonally migrate
over long distances) included on the bird cards use to survive the winter?
- Their plumage turns white and acts as camouflage against predators.
- Their legs are covered with warm feathers that make it easier to walk on snow.
- A thick layer of fat protects them against the cold.
- During the severest cold spells, willow grouse and ptarmigan can burrow into the snow for
shelter. Snow acts as insulation against the cold.
The birds feed on the nutrition available even during severe frosts, including the twigs of trees and
bushes, or pine needles (capercaillie).
CAPERCAILLIE
male
HAZEL
GROUSE
TEAL
male
MALLARD
female
SHOVELER
GOLDENEYE
WILLOW
GROUSE
GREYLAG
GOOSE
MALLARD
male
PHEASANT
male
COOT
EIDER
male
WOOD PIGEON
PTARMIGAN
CANADA GOOSE
WOODCOCK
PINTAIL
RED-BREASTED
MERGANSER
EIDER
female
BEAN GOOSE
male
OPTION a
OPTION b
Pictures: Wikimedia Commons, Markku Pirttimaa,
Metsähallitus
HAZEL GROUSE
MALLARD, female
CAPERCAILLIE, male
TEAL, male
GREYLAG GOOSE
WILLOW GROUSE
GOLDENEYE
EIDER, male
SHOVELER
MALLARD, male
COOT
PHEASANT, male
WOODCOCK
CANADA GOOSE
PTARMIGAN
BEAN GOOSE
RED-BREASTED
MERGANSER
PINTAIL
OPTION c
Pictures: Wikimedia Commons, Markku Pirttimaa,
Metsähallitus
WOOD PIGEON
EIDER, female
CAPERCAILLIE
Tetrao urogallus
HAZEL GROUSE
Tetrastes bonasia
TEAL
Anas crecca
MALLARD, female
Anas platyrhynchos
Distribution: Extensive forests with
variable habitats
Size: about 4 kg
Food: shoots, buds, seeds, berries
and in winter pine needles
Appearance: Male dark in coloring,
tail large. Red “eyebrow” in the top
of the eye. Female is brown and
smaller than male. Capercaillie is
sedentary (does not migrate during
the winter).
Distribution: Dense forest habitats,
especially spruce stands
Size: 250–450 g
Food: shoots, buds, catkins and
berries
Appearance: Small and round head.
Male has a little tuft in head. Plumage
with brown, grey, white and black
markings. Males have black bibs. Legs
are covered with feathers. Sedentary.
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland in open waters and wetlands
Size: 270–330 g
Food: invertebrates, plants
Appearance: Males in breeding
plumage have bright brown heads
with a metallic green patch. Females
are brownish. Teal is one of the
smallest duck species. Migratory
bird.
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland
Size: 500–1100 g
Food: invertebrates
Appearance: Both male and female
have blue wing panel. Females have
brown plumage with darker patterning.
Mallard is a dabbling duck. It is the
most common duck in Finland.
Migratory bird but some may
overwinter in cities.
SHOVELER
Anas clypeata
GOLDENEYE
Bucephala clangula
WILLOW GROUSE
Lagopus lagopus
GREYLAG GOOSE
Anser anser
Distribution: Shallow, nutrient rich
waters in Central and Southern
Finland
Size: 490–740 g
Food: invertebrates, plants
Appearance: Large shovel-like bill.
Males in breeding plumage are very
colorful with dark-green heads.
Females are brown with darker
patterning. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland
Size: 500–1100 g
Food: invertebrates
Appearance: Head appear somewhat
triangular and irises are golden yellow.
Male in breeding plumage is mainly
black and white, and their heads have
a single large spot beneath eye.
Females heads are dark brown and
bodies greyish. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Marshy areas and fellsides, almost disappeared from
Southern Finland
Size: 500–800 g
Food: shoots, buds, leaves and
berries
Appearance: Males have four
different plumages and females
have three. In winter both are mainly
white. Sedentary bird.
Distribution: Nests on Baltic islands
and seashores
Size: 3–4 kg
Food: Mainly grass, sometimes
feeds on algae
Appearance: A beak is pinkish
orange and legs are pink in adult
bird. Feathers are grey. Migratory
bird.
MALLARD, male
Anas platyrhynchos
PHEASANT
Phasianus colchius
COOT
Fulica atra
EIDER, male
Somateria mollissima
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland
Size: 500–1100 g
Food: invertebrates
Appearance: Both male and female
have blue wing panel. Males in
breeding plumage have metallic green
head and a white ring around neck.
Mallard is a dabbling duck. It is the
most common duck in Finland.
Migratory bird but some may
overwinter in cities.
Distribution: In farmlands and
parklands, suburban areas. Introduced
in Finland in 1901
Size: about 1kg
Food: seeds, grain, invertebrates
Appearance: Males have colorful
plumage with red eye patch and
metallic green head. Females are
yellowish brown. Both sexes have long
tail. Males’ legs have sharp spurs.
Sedentary bird.
Distribution: Mainly Southern and
Central Finland
Size: 600–1200 g
Food: invertebrates, aquatic plants
Appearance: Body is stocky,
rounded and almost black except
the white forehead shield and beak.
Mature coots have red irises.
Migratory bird.
WOOD PIGEON
Columba palumbus
PTARMIGAN
Lagopus muta
CANADA GOOSE
Branta canadensis
WOODCOCK
Scolopax rusticola
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland except the northernmost
part.
Size: 400–600 g
Food: seeds, grain, pulses
Appearance: Coloring is pale bluish
grey and mature birds have white
neck marking. Legs are red and
beaks are yellow. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Fells in Northern
Lapland
Size: 450–600 g
Food: buds, shoots and leaves
Appearance: Plumage changes
seasonally. In winter they are almost
totally white. Summer plumage is
greyer than Willow Grouse’s
plumage. Legs are covered with
feathers. Sedentary bird.
Distribution: All waters throughout
Finland. Introduced in the 1960s
Size: 2–6 kg
Food: mainly different sort of plants
Appearance: Head and neck are
black. White patch on cheek and
throat. Otherwise body is brownish.
Canada goose is the largest goose
in Finland. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Moist forests in
Central and Southern Finland, more
scarcely in Oulu and Kainuu
Size: 225–370 g
Food: invertebrates
Appearance: Plumage is reddish
brown with black and white mottled
markings. Beak is strikingly long.
Migratory bird.
EIDER, female
Somateria mollissima
BEAN GOOSE
Anser fabalis
PINTAIL
Anas acuta
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland’s coastal areas
Size: 1200–2600 g
Food: mainly mussels
Appearance: Females are mottled
brown. Eider’s head is large and
wedge-shaped. Females and
juveniles have elongated wedges of
brown feathers on the sides of their
beaks. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Breeds in northern
regions and bogs in Central Finland
Size: 1,2–2,6 kg
Food: water and shore plants
Appearance: Feathers are grey and
back is black. Beak is mainly orange
with a black tip. Legs are yellowish
orange. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Densities greatest in
northern regions, breeds near marshy
shores in wetlands
Size: 900–1100 g
Food: plants and invertebrates
Appearance: Pintails have long necks
and elongated tail. Males in breeding
plumage have brown head and white
neck and breast. Female is brown and
grey. Migratory bird.
OPTION d
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland’s coastal areas
Size: 1200–2600 g
Food: mainly mussels
Appearance: Males in breeding
plumage have white back and dark
underparts, tail and wing feathers
and black cap. Autumn plumage is
mainly dark brown. Migratory bird.
Mercus serrator
Distribution: Breeds around nutrientpoor waters throughout Finland
Size: 225–370 g
Food: fish and invertebrates
Appearance: Females are brownish.
Males have colorful plumage with
black, white and brown.
Both have crests on the back of the
head and white patches on wings.
Migratory bird.
Tetrao urogallus
Tetrastes bonasia
Anas crecca
Anas platyrhynchos
Distribution: Extensive forests with
variable habitats
Size: about 4 kg
Food: shoots, buds, seeds, berries
and in winter pine needles
Appearance: Male dark in coloring,
tale large. Red “eyebrow” in the top
of the eye. Female is brown and
smaller than male. Capercaillie is
sedentary (does not migrate during
the winter).
Distribution: Dense forest habitats,
especially spruce stands
Size: 250–450 g
Food: shoots, buds, catkins and
berries
Appearance: Small and round head.
Male has a little tuft in head. Plumage
with brown, grey, white and black
markings. Males have black bibs. Legs
are covered with feathers. Sedentary.
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland in open waters and wetlands
Size: 270–330 g
Food: invertebrates, plants
Appearance: Males in breeding
plumage have bright brown heads
with a metallic green patch. Females
are brownish. Teal is one of the
smallest duck species. Migratory
bird.
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland
Size: 500–1100 g
Food: invertebrates
Appearance: Both male and female
have blue wing panel. Females have
brown plumage with darker patterning.
Mallard is a dabbling duck. It is the
most common duck in Finland.
Migratory bird but some may
overwinter in cities.
Anas clypeata
Distribution: Shallow, nutrient rich
waters in Central and Southern
Finland
Size: 490–740 g
Food: invertebrates, plants
Appearance: Large shovel-like bill.
Males in breeding plumage are very
colorful with dark-green heads.
Females are brown with darker
patterning. Migratory bird.
Bucephala clangula
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland
Size: 500–1100 g
Food: invertebrates
Appearance: Head appear
somewhat triangular and irises are
golden yellow. Male in breeding
plumage is mainly black and white,
and their heads have a single large
spot beneath eye. Females heads
are dark brown and bodies greyish.
Lagopus lagopus
Anser anser
Distribution: Marshy areas and fellsides, almost disappeared from
Southern Finland
Size: 500–800 g
Food: shoots, buds, leaves and
berries
Appearance: Males have four
different plumages and females
have three. In winter both are mainly
white. Sedentary bird.
Distribution: Nests on Baltic islands
and seashores
Size: 3–4 kg
Food: Mainly grass, sometimes
feeds on algae
Appearance: A beak is pinkish
orange and legs are pink in adult
bird. Feathers are grey. Migratory
bird.
Anas platyrhynchos
Phasianus colchius
Fulica atra
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland
Size: 500–1100 g
Food: invertebrates
Appearance: Both male and female
have blue wing panel. Males in
breeding plumage have metallic green
head and a white ring around neck.
Mallard is a dabbling duck. It is the
most common duck in Finland.
Migratory bird but some may
overwinter in cities.
Distribution: In farmlands and
parklands, suburban areas. Introduced
in Finland in 1901
Size: about 1kg
Food: seeds, grain, invertebrates
Appearance: Males have colorful
plumage with red eye patch and
metallic green head. Females are
yellowish brown. Both sexes have long
tail. Males’ legs have sharp spurs.
Sedentary bird.
Distribution: Mainly Southern and
Central Finland
Size: 600–1200 g
Food: invertebrates, aquatic plants
Appearance: Body is stocky,
rounded and almost black except
the white forehead shield and beak.
Mature coots have red irises.
Migratory bird.
Somateria mollissima
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland’s coastal areas
Size: 1200–2600 g
Food: mainly mussels
Appearance: Males in breeding
plumage have white back and dark
underparts, tail and wing feathers
and black cap. Autumn plumage is
mainly dark brown. Migratory bird.
Columba palumbus
Lagopus muta
Branta canadensis
Scolopax rusticola
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland except the northernmost
part.
Size: 400–600 g
Food: seeds, grain, pulses
Appearance: Coloring is pale bluish
grey and mature birds have white
neck marking. Legs are red and
beaks are yellow. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Fells in Northern
Lapland
Size: 450–600 g
Food: buds, shoots and leaves
Appearance: Plumage changes
seasonally. In winter they are almost
totally white. Summer plumage is
greyer than Willow Grouse’s
plumage. Legs are covered with
feathers. Sedentary bird.
Distribution: All waters throughout
Finland. Introduced in the 1960s
Size: 2–6 kg
Food: mainly different sort of plants
Appearance: Head and neck are
black. White patch on cheek and
throat. Otherwise body is brownish.
Canada goose is the largest goose
in Finland.
Distribution: Moist forests in
Central and Southern Finland, more
scarcely in Oulu and Kainuu
Size: 225–370 g
Food: invertebrates
Appearance: Plumage is reddish
brown with black and white mottled
markings. Beak is strikingly long.
Migratory bird.
Somateria mollissima
Anser fabalis
Anas acuta
Distribution: Breeds throughout
Finland’s coastal areas
Size: 1200–2600 g
Food: mainly mussels
Appearance: Females are mottled
brown. Eider’s head is large and
wedge-shaped. Females and
juveniles have elongated wedges of
brown feathers on the sides of their
beaks. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Breeds in northern
regions and bogs in Central Finland
Size: 1,2–2,6 kg
Food: water and shore plants
Appearance: Feathers are grey and
back is black. Beak is mainly orange
with a black tip. Legs are yellowish
orange. Migratory bird.
Distribution: Densities greatest in
northern regions, breeds near marshy
shores an in wetlands
Size: 900–1100 g
Food: plants and invertebrates
Appearance: Pintails have long necks
and elongated tail. Males in breeding
plumage have brown head and white
neck and breast. Female is brown and
grey. Migratory bird.
OPTION e
Mercus serrator
Distribution: Breeds around nutrientpoor waters throughout Finland
Size: 225–370 g
Food: fish and invertebrates
Appearance: Females are brownish.
Males have colorful plumage with
black, white and brown.
Both have crests on the back of the
head and white patches on wings.
Migratory bird.